Location: 14400 block of Road 284
Incident Date: 10-04-15
Case Number: 15-12475
Posted by: Media Relations
UPDATE: The names of the victims have been released. They are:
(V1) Smith, Clarence Charles 84 years out of the Porterville area
(V2) Smith, Evelyn May 83 years out of the Porterville area (wife of V1)
(S) Smith, Kenneth Charles 57 years out of the Porterville area (son of V1 and V2)
On 10-6-15 the victim’s in this case were positively identified as Clarence Smith 84 years old and Evelyn Smith 83 years old from the Porterville area.
On 10-6-16 and autopsy was conducted on the 2 victim’s and the cause of death was determined to be manual strangulation.
During this ongoing investigation Violent Crimes Detectives have positively identified and arrested the suspect Kenneth Charles Smith as the person responsible for the victim’s demise.
This investigation is ongoing and anyone with information can call the Tulare County Sheriff’s Department at 559-733-6218 or 1-800-808-0488. Anyone with information can also remain anonymous by calling TIPNOW at 559-725-4194.
UPDATE: 10-5-2015 5:10pm - Kenneth Charles Smith has been booked on 2 counts of Homicide and is currently in custody at Tulare County Jail.
UPDATE: Person of interest Kenneth Charles Smith was taken into custody shortly after 10 a.m. Oct. 5, 2015. At this time, he remains a person of interest and is being interviewed by investigators.
He was located in Kern County in the Lake Isabella area.
On 10-04-15, at 2037 hours, the Tulare County Sheriff's Office responded to the 14400 block of Road 284, Porterville, to check the welfare of an elderly couple. Upon arrival, the couple was located and found to be deceased with obvious injuries.
The Tulare County Violent Crimes Detective Unit was contacted and has assumed the investigation.
Kenneth Charles Smith, 57, is a person of interest in this case. He stands 6-feet tall and weighs 190 pounds. He is a white male adult with brown hair and hazel eyes. He could possibly be driving a blue 1970 or 1980 Ford F150 pickup truck with an 8-foot bed and blue tarp in the back. The vehicle has a broken windshield and the last two numbers on his California license plate are 84.
Anyone with further information regarding this incident is encouraged to contact Violent Crimes Det. Zamora at the Tulare County Sheriff's Office and reference TCSO case # 15-12475, or by using the following information:
TCSO Dispatch 559-733-6218
Anonymous information about this incident can be reported via Tipnow
email tcso@tipnow.net
text or voicemail at 559-725-4194
or download the Tipnow app for Android or Apple phones.